it's time now for paul ryan and other republicans to lay out their alternative and to fight this president better than they have. jon: he talked about green energy and how it is still a panacea. i want to play it and get a real quick thought from each of you. here we go. >> yeah, sure. >> we, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war. jon: okay. that, that was, obviously, about winding down the wars in afghanistan and iraq. um, suggesting, i guess, that those republicans who have said it's too soon to leave afghanistan are wrong. what do you think about that, simon? >> well, we don't agree. [laughter] and i think that, you know, look, my -- two of my kids are 7 and 10, they were down on the mall with me yesterday. we've been at war in afghanistan their entire lives. so this notion that there is war weariness and we have not fought these wars the way we needed to to achieve success i think is a fair criticism by this president of a failed foreign policy of the previous president. jon: matt, you were part of that previous be president's t